Matthew Tully: Readers pop off over Indiana fireworks laws

Jul. 5, 2013

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Last week, I wrote about the powerful Indiana fireworks lobby and the work they’ve done to put in place some of the loosest consumer fireworks laws in the land. Some of you told me the column was a big hit; others said it was a dud. So, on this Independence Day weekend, let’s revisit this explosive topic with a visit to the mailbag.

Richard H: Your article about the fireworks industry was well-researched and written. Obviously, money buys influence in Indiana. Disregard safety or noise. Street drag racing is next. Let’s push the drinking age down to 15.

Tully: Drag racing and a 15-year-old drinking age? Well, I sadly have to admit that the 1984, teenaged version of me would have agreed with that campaign platform.

Tom C: Your article on the absurd Indiana legal position on fireworks is right on at several levels. But I’m resigned to the fact that the world’s worst legislature will continue to follow the money.

Tully: Now, I’m a frequent critic of the state legislature, and money definitely drives policy at the Statehouse. But the world’s worst legislature? Even I would say that’s going to far. How about we just limit it to North America?

Rob L: I have no problem with the current fireworks law. Fireworks are popular, and the law sensibly reflects that. Yes, they are noisy and potentially dangerous, but so are lots of other things that we don’t ban. On the other hand, I detest the recent inaction by lawmakers that kept in place the insipid law preventing alcohol sales on Sunday.

Tully: Well, at least that’s one thing we can agree on.

Michael M: I’m getting seriously tired of idealistic rants about what you consider important. Fireworks noise at night? What about idiots riding around late at night with stereos cranked to earthquake levels? What about idiot adults, teens and kids walking down the middle of residential streets, ignoring sidewalks? Or bicyclists ignoring traffic laws?

Tully: This email continued on with a few more complaints. So to sum it up, I’ll borrow from the words that Frank Costanza uttered on another holiday (Festivus): “Michael has a lot of problems with you people.”

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Chris M: I’m in a subdivision near Fishers, and I have to listen to these explosions on a nightly basis. It starts around 9 p.m. and doesn’t stop till midnight or so. I am speaking of explosions that rival professional fireworks shows. My whole house rattles when these go off.

Tully: And if the house is a-rattling, don’t bother knocking. Oh, wait, I see you meant something else. My apologies.

Paul E: We’ve been putting up with the late-night noises for over a week. We haven’t bothered to call the police because unless they see someone in the act of shooting off fireworks they really can’t do anything.

Tully: In their defense, the Indianapolis cops have been quite busy of late.

Gregg J: Yeah, right. So let’s just ban everything that’s fun and that people actually enjoy just because a relatively small amount of accidents occur every year, mostly because of misuse. Might as well make everything under the sun illegal.

Tully: Well, not everything. Just the things that might burn down your neighbor’s house.

Tully: Yes, because nothing brings down a neighborhood faster than the lack of fiery explosions.

Barb B: I wonder if any of the people who are so pro-fireworks ever consider anything other than their own “freedom.”

Tully: Ahh, freedom. Thanks for bringing that up. I think it’s actually in the Constitution: “Congress shall make no law prohibiting the free exercise of pyromania; or abridging the freedom of loud booms; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble (so they can watch their drunken uncles shoot off Molotov cocktails.)”

Fred H: I was in the fire service for 33 years and never could understand how we could regulate the sale of almost all products with exception of fireworks.

Tully: Hey, why would we listen to firefighters on this one?

Curtis M: Thank you for writing the article about fireworks. I must be among the few people in this state who don’t like to be fire-bombed on the Fourth of July and every other day that the pyromaniacs think they can get away with it. And they can always get away with it.

Matt: That brings me to the Fourth of July motto here in Indiana: Have fun, enjoy a hotdog and a parade, and when the sun goes down, take cover.

I really do appreciate all of you who take the time to write, whether it’s to praise or to criticize. Please keep the mail coming. You can reach me at matthew.tully@indystar.com or on Twitter @matthewltully.

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